Electrical ignition for internal-combustion engines.



v. EARRETO. ELECTRICAL IGNITION FOB INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

ATPLIOATION FILED HAY 11, 1908.

Patent ed Aug 24,1909.

to produce a correctly t .a n tension 7 firing spark, Without the aid o low tension contact breaker. The c may be derived from a low tensioi achine a magnetoelectrical macl VICTOR BARRETQ, 0F HARLOW, ENGLAND.

ELECTRICAL IGNITIQN FOR INTEBNAL-COHIBUSTlION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application fi1ed 1ttay 11, 1908. Serial No. 4329M.

To all winnn it may concern:

Be it known that l. Baron Vicron l5.\1: RETO, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Quarry Court, Marlow, in the county of Buckingham, in llngland, have invented new and useful IHIPl'OVQmQIltS in Electrical Ignition for internal-Combnstion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hi "ension distributors designed for use in coim tion with vide a high tension spark firing a charge in petrol ternal combustion engines, the ob' ct being in combination with a suitable -ransformer or from accumulators connected through a trembler with the primary winding of a suitable induction coil, Without the use of a low tension contact breaker. in such a man.- ner, that the secondary or high tension winding is under continuous sparking conditions and the high tension current produced is connected directly withmy novel distributor, as hereinafter described. If a high tension magneto-machine or high frequency machine is used, the transformer may be dispensed with, and the high tension current produced by this machine or from an alternating current machine may be connected directly to the distributor in the same manner.

It has been founddiilicult to correctly time high tension ignition current with a distributer, unless a low tension contact breaker is employed, owing to the uncertainty of the t1ming,-due to the liability of the high tension spark to cause ignition, before the corresponding sparking poles or points arrive opposite each other, when the movable distributing arm is caused to revolve in the usual manner, because the high tension current tends to form an arc before the revolving arm arrives at its proper position. To overcome this difliculty, I employ a distributer so arranged, that the high tension current is more or less continuously earthed or short-circuited, until the movable pole or arm has arrived within short dis tance from the stationary timing point, fir-- earthed sect-ion of the same by means of porcelain or other suitable non-conducting material, and which is preferably surrounded in addition by an air space or gap.

in the accompanying drawing l igurc l is a sectional face view of a distributor our bodying my invention. 2 is an axial section. Fig. 3, is the lever. Figs. l and represent a modification.

(L indicates a metallic cylindrical casing provided with four vulcanite rings 6 and washers Z) each of which contains a metal plate I; forming the pole of terminal a, (2 represents a disk of insulating vulcanite. mounted on a steel sleeve in and carrying a metallic sparking gap arm The disk 9 of the latter makes contact with aspring contact piece inclosed in a tube 2' extending through the vulcanite cover of the distributor and connected with theis connected with the metallic framework.

and therefore to ground through the terminal 1 1, and a wire (not shown).

The steel sleeve m is mounted on a shaft, (not shown) set in motion from the crankshaft or cam-shaft of the engine and is supported in a boss or axle bearing a formed in the casing of the distributor.

If the shaft carrying the sleeve or hollow axle m of the sparking gap arm f is caused to revolve, the high tension current entering from the transformer or magneto-machine through the terminal spring i contact piece 2' and extremity g of arm f will spark across the air space which has preferably a width of about inch to the casing (1.,ll16 sparks forming a continuous stream, until the sparking gap arm farrives opposite one of the poles c,- the short circuiting then ceases, owing to the insulating material at b. As soonas the arm 7' faces'one of the terminals 0, the radial distance from which is preferably about inch, the high tension current passes in the usual manner to the sparking plug connected withthe same. and causes ignition. lVhen f has passed beyond 0, a short. circuit is formed and sparks are again 4 formed from the arm .to the cylindrical wall ofthe casing a until the sparking arcrea ches the nextpo'le 0 so as Patented Aug. 24., 1909.

.to supply current to the second sparking plug and so on alternately.

Fig. 3 shows a lever n, which may be mounted on the boss a and fixed at the de sired angle by means of a clamping screw.

- h represents the ground terminal connected by a wire with the metallic framework.

' corresponding to Fig. 2.

The terminal screw fixed to the pole-piece passes through a vulcanite cover or plate 9 fixed to the distributer casing by screws-r.

Instead of having four poles or terminals 0, as shown in the drawing, which would be suitable for a four-cylinder engine, any other desired number of them may be distributed along the circumference of the casing, one for each cylinder of the engine, the same revolving arm f thus serving to operate one or more igniting circuits one after another and a metallic path being formed for earthing each circuit.

Other modifications of my distributer may of course be devised, all of which embody the feature, that during the time the movable contact piece or pole is not opposite one of the fixed contact pieces or poles, a suitable by-path is offered to the current from the movable pole. I

hat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In electric igniting devices for internal combustion engines, a rotary high-tension distributer comprising a box or casing of conducting material having in its circumferonce one or more stationary pole pieces or terminals insulated from the box, each formin g the pole of an igniting circuit, a movable sparking gap arm connected with a high tension circuit and adapted to turn on the axisof the box, so as to face the stationary pole or poles and thereby to lead high ten-'- sion current to the same once at every revolu'tion, and a grounding device connected with the said box, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses. VICTOR BARRETO.

VVitnesses': i

SIDNEY vVon'roN,

VVlLLIAM DAYNES. 

